Summer Days in the Raspberry Patch: Homemade Raspberry Jelly and Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream
There is something so special about the first blush pink raspberries of the season. Warm from the summer sun, they are one of the sweetest rewards of the kitchen garden.
Welcome to Notes from my Summer Kitchen, you are warmly invited to join me as I cook through the seasons. As summer unfolds I’ll be sharing recipes inspired by longer days and seasonal ingredients. I hope you will cook along with me.
It has been an exceptionally sad week as we have said our final goodbye to my much-loved dog, Eloise, after 15½ years together. Her loss has meant I am running a little behind with this week’s post, and I hope you will forgive the slight delay. I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could, and the grief of losing my constant companion has been far harder than I ever imagined. I wanted to mention her because she was such a familiar presence in my kitchen. Curled up quietly in the corner, she was there for almost every recipe I made, happy simply to keep me company. I still find myself glancing towards her empty bed, she is so very missed.
To lift our spirits, I thought this might be the week to write about our much-anticipated raspberry harvest. The sight of those first pink and red berries appearing along the canes has brought a little joy at a time when we have needed it most. There could be no happier recipes to make with them than raspberry ripple ice cream and homemade raspberry jelly, and so that is exactly what I am sharing this week. They may not mend a broken heart, but they are recipes of comfort, pleasure and the quiet hope that, even in difficult weeks, there is still joy to be found in the kitchen.
If you were to walk with me through the garden in August one of our first destinations would be the raspberry canes which stretch between the old orchard wall and edge the vegetable garden. Next year we hope to add cherries to the wall too, making this little corner even more abundant, but for now it belongs entirely to the raspberries, which are in magnificent full crop. There is no better feeling than picking them straight from the cane, still warm from the summer sun and perfectly ripe. Admittedly, not many ever make it back to the kitchen, but for those that do, these are the two recipes I would save them for.
Jelly is one of my favourite recipes to make during the summer months, and last year you may remember I shared a mulberry jelly made using exactly the same method. The recipe below can easily be adapted throughout the season with whichever berries you have to hand. Our mulberry tree is several hundred years old. Time has split it into great twisting limbs that now lean wearily across the lawn. Some branches are still laden with fruit, while others have long since given up. As children we climbed amongst its low-slung branches, building dens and disappearing into our own little world.
By late summer the tree produces magnificent giant mulberries. If you’ve never tasted one, they are among the finest of all berries, with a frustratingly short season. They bruise almost as soon as they are picked, bleed their deep purple juice onto everything they touch and simply don’t travel well. They are wonderfully elusive, which is why I think they are so special. The best approach is to gather them quickly and make the juice for this jelly while they are at their best. It isn’t something you can buy, and that makes it feel all the more precious. If you’d like to make my mulberry jelly too, you’ll find the recipe on my website (linked here).
But I digress, onto this week's recipes, because Substack has politely informed me that I am "nearing the email length limit", so I think my work here is done.
Raspberry Jelly
There is something wonderfully joyful about making homemade jelly. It is one of those simple methods that never fails to bring a smile, whether served to children or adults. For this recipe I used little jelly moulds, but they are equally beautiful set in an assortment of glasses or small bowls. I served the raspberry jellies alongside my raspberry ripple ice cream below, however they are also lovely served with some softly whipped cream. Make the jelly the day before so it can sit in the fridge overnight and set.
makes 4 jellies
ingredients
570ml (1 pint) raspberry juice, for which you will need 500g raspberries
60g golden caster sugar
4 leaves of leaf gelatine
raspberries to decorate
equipment
jelly moulds
method
Make the raspberry juice: to a pan add the fresh raspberries and 200-300ml water. Set over a medium heat and bring up to a boil; the fruit will begin to break down as it cooks. After 5 minutes remove from the heat and strain through a sieve and into a bowl, to remove all the seeds and pith (discard this). Next add the golden caster sugar to the raspberry juice so it can dissolve. Taste and check the sweetness.
Dissolve the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes (or according to the packet’s instructions). Squeeze out any excess water and add the softened gelatine leaves into the raspberry juice. Stir until fully dissolved.
Pour the jelly mix into the jelly moulds/ or into glasses and refrigerate overnight, so that the jelly can set in the fridge.
The next day un-mould/ or serve the jellies in glasses with ice cream, or whipped cream.
Homemade Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream
Earlier this summer I shared my love of making homemade ice cream, working through the three classic Neapolitan flavours: vanilla, strawberry and chocolate. Together they offered the perfect balance of creamy, fruity and indulgent. But once you start making your own ice cream, the possibilities quickly become endless, and raspberry ripple ice cream has been at the very top of my list to try. Sweet vanilla ice cream threaded with ribbons of sharp raspberry sauce is, to me, one of the most perfect flavour combinations of summer. If you haven’t yet tried my vanilla ice cream, I’d encourage you to begin here instead. This has become one of our favourite ice creams of the season.
ingredients
400ml whole milk
400ml double cream
1-2 vanilla pods
150g caster sugar
250g raspberries
2 tablespoons golden caster sugar
equipment
ice cream machine
ice cream tub, for freezing
method
Turn the ice cream machine on and follow the instructions to cool the ice cream bowl. Ready to make ice cream.
In a pan warm the whole milk, add the split vanilla pod and warm until just boiling, but not boiling. The vanilla will now have infused in the milk. Pour into a jug to cool, using a sieve to remove any of the vanilla pod. Add the sugar, the double cream and a pinch of sea salt. Combine gently with a spoon and then allow the ice cream mixture to cool fully.
Pour into the ice cream machine and switch to the churn setting, to make ice cream. In about 20-30 minutes (depending on your machine) you should have a soft churn ice cream.
Meanwhile to a pan add the raspberries, a splash of water (not too much as you want a syrup rather than a sauce), place over a medium heat. Bring up to a boil and mash the fruit down as it cooks. Remove from the heat and strain over a sieve and into a jug. Sweeten the raspberry juice (whilst still hot) with golden caster sugar. You now have a homemade raspberry syrup, allow to completely cool whilst the ice cream finished churning.
Take your ice cream tub and add a layer of vanilla ice cream, then ripple through a few spoonfuls of the raspberry syrup. Repeat these layers until the tub is full. Freeze for a minimum of 6 hours, ideally overnight. You now have raspberry ripple ice cream ready to serve and enjoy.
About Notes from my Kitchen
I write from my London kitchen table, sharing the food and flavours of my English childhood. My recipes are rooted in memory, seasonality, family and the quiet rituals of home. Much of my inspiration comes from my late mother and her much-loved Kentish garden, which she designed and built. It remains a place that shapes how I cook and think about food, and one I hope to share with you through the seasons. Revisiting her recipes and reimagining her cooking brings a sense of belonging.
I am so sorry to hear about Eloise, Miriam. I can't imagine her gone after 15 1/2 years together...